Monthly Archives: October 2016

Years in the making, No Free Man: Canada, the Great War, and the Enemy Alien Experience, Dr. Bohdan Kordan’s latest book was recently published by McGill-Queen’s University Press. The work traces the evolution and consequences of Canadian government policy towards immigrants of enemy nationality during the Great War, when 8,579 were interned and tens of thousands were subjected to a mass surveillance system that monitored their movement and activities. The book examines the ways in which the political and legal status of enemy subjects configured the policy and practice of internment in Canada and how this process – magnified by the challenges of the war – affected the broader concerns of public order and national security.

On 27 October 2016, the book was formally launched at Saskatoon’s McNally Robinson Booksellers. The event is part of a national speaking tour funded by a grant from the Endowment Council of the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund. The tour will include a series of presentations in Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Victoria, and Ottawa.

Book Launch of ‘No Free Man’ at McNally-Robinson Booksellers, Saskatoon

The PCUH was proud to co-host with the STM Dean’s Office the annual reception for Ukrainian Studies on Thursday, October 20th. Current students enrolled in the program and others were in attendance this year, along with STM faculty and community supporters.

The Associate Dean of St Thomas More College, Dr. Darrell McLaughlin, welcomed the students to the college as the home of Ukrainian Studies on the UofS campus. He spoke of the program and how it has benefitted numerous students over the years. Prof. Natalia Khanenko-Friesen, chair of the interdisciplinary program, provided information on the requirements of the degree and of the opportunities students could avail themselves, including STM’s Spring Session in Ukraine (a study abroad program) as well as scholarships and awards in Ukrainian Studies made available through the college. Prof. Kordan, PCUH Director, spoke about the role of the centre on campus. He highlighted the centre’s financial support for course instruction, students, and their activities. He also mentioned the importance of experiential, non-classroom learning as an additional way to discover Ukrainian culture and identity, which the centre also champions.

Ashley Halko-Addley at the 2016 Ukrainian Studies Reception

Ashley Halko-Addley, co-president of the University of Saskatchewan Ukrainian Students’ Association was also on hand, encouraging students to consider association membership as a way to connect with other students interested in Ukrainian life on campus and announced to the attendees that the Ukrainian Students Association had just been formally recognized as a student’s group affiliated with St Thomas More College.

A conference celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies drew a large number of academics from across Canada, the US and Europe to discuss the state of Ukrainian Studies in Canada. Held at the University of Alberta October 14-15, the conference focused on the changing post-secondary landscape and its impact on Ukrainian Studies. In addition, challenges and innovations in the field were discussed. PCUH Faculty Associates, Professors Khanenko-Friesen and Kordan were invited to speak at the gathering.

In a panel discussion on Ukrainian Canadian Studies, PCUH Faculty Associate Prof. Natalia Khanenko-Friesen noted the importance of strategic engagement. She highlighted the potential of community-based scholarship and her work on oral history with the PCUH as a rich and invaluable resource. She also forcefully argued for the need to work with other Canadian institutions to capitalize on the potential inherent in collaboration and with young scholars in Ukraine who increasingly are making contributions to the field.

For the panel ‘Teaching Ukrainian Studies’ Prof. Kordan, drawing on the experience of the PCUH, discussed the vital role centres might play in backstopping program under threat and argued not only for innovation in programming but also providing experiential learning opportunities to students as an alternative to teaching exclusively in the area of Ukrainian Studies where faculty resources are scarce.